The Bottomless Pit - Woyzeck Essays - Woyzeck, Georg Bchner

The Bottomless Pit - Woyzeck Topic# 1: A commentator has remarked, ? Clearly Buchner considered that while social revolution might help the Woyzeck's of the world, it could hardly save them?. Is Buchner's vision of the world of Woyzeck essentially fatalistic, a dystopia from which there is no escape? Georg Buchner's classic play ?Woyzeck?, unfinished, yet ahead of its time, has only this past century achieved notoriety for its visionary script and modernity. Buchner, a young radical of his time, intended this work to act as a social protest against the oppression and conditions of the impoverished. The work shows its audience the extreme tragedies that befall those trapped in poverty, those who have lost all hope, and therefore become acquiescent to their environment, which in turn furthers their hardship. Despite the main characters' pleas for aid, and or spiritual intervention, they are trapped in their situations. Buchner offers no hope to them of any kind for redemption or salvation. Poverty is presented as a vicious cycle, one that destroys everything in its path. The obvious apocalyptic language and visions that Buchner employs in the play all stress the pessimism surrounding the characters, and the fatalistic and dystopic environment in which they are forced to survive. Woyzeck, the central protagonist, and his common law wife Marie, are left to the mercy of their society and manipulated by those around them. Characters like the Doctor, Captain, and Drum Major contribute to Woyzeck's downfall, and the subsequent murder of Marie: the Doctor treats Woyzeck like an animal and is completely unconnected to his reality, the Captain tries in vain to morally reform Woyzeck, a man whose hunger is first and foremost on his mind and not the condition of his morality, and finally, the Drum Major humiliates Woyzeck by seducing his wife, and later assaults him in front of his peers. All three men cannot possibly understand Woyzeck's state of mind and situation, and disregar d him in all his pain and suffering. They mock his humanity, and ignore him when he asks for answers to the questions that might have eased his troubled and irrational mind. The Captain plants the jealous seed of doubt and anger surrounding Marie's infidelity in Woyzeck's mind. The effect of this would not have been so successful if Woyzeck had not been already so desperate, destitute, and verging on madness. Woyzeck explains his dire existence to the Captain in scene one of the play: Woyzeck: ?When you're poor like us, sir?It's the money, the money! If you haven't got the money? I mean you can't bring the likes of us into the world on decency. We're flesh and blood too. Our kind doesn't get a chance in this world or the next. If we go to heaven they'll put us to work on the thunder? (Pp.108) Here one sees that Woyzeck believes that even if he made it to the eternal paradise of heaven, his suffering would still continue, as he would be made to work on the thunder along with the rest of the poor. Woyzeck perceives no glimpse of a better life or future for his family, and accepts his fate to live as a slave to others. He allows the Doctor to perform weird and degrading experiments on him, such as placing him on a strict diet of only peas for three months, and he allows himself to be berated for relieving himself in the street. Woyzeck does all this just so he can earn a few measly dollars to support Marie and their child. There is no utopic blueprint in this play. Buchner does not create a new model for humanity, or for how poverty should be dealt with, he just shows it to us in all of its anguish. Woyzeck's only escape from his pathetic life is his love for Marie. She is the only thing that he loves, and cherishes. Her affair with the Drum Major drives Woyzeck into insanity, and he ends up killing Marie, the only thing that kept him sane. Woyzeck says concerning self-control, that the poor can't possibly do anything but obey nature's call, much like the horse displayed at the fair: Man in his unidealized state. Woyzeck: ?Oh, self-control. I'm not

African press draws Haiti essays

African press draws Haiti essays African press draws Haiti lessons On Sunday, February 29, 2004 Jean-Bertrand Aristide left the country of Haiti. It is unknown as to where the exiled President went to considering all sort of communications were cut of the previous week in Haiti. The radio stations were shut down; the television stations were shut down and everyone were advised to stay inside. The unclear news of Aristides whereabouts is solely for his safety, so we are told. There was news that Aristide was supposed to go to Puerto Rico, but that planned changed after discovering that ex-president Cedars was waiting for Aristide in Haiti. The ex-president of Haiti worked closely with the rebels of Haiti in the many coup datas that have occurred while in office. Many radio stations in Haiti now are stating that Aristide has gone to Africa. This is still a rumor according to a 1020am Haitian station in Miami, FL. Though there is little cheer for the intervention in Haiti, there is less for President Aristide who "helped seal his own fate", says South Africa's This Day. The commentators in Africa really dont want Aristide to shelter there because they fear the problems, which follows Aristide. I ask myself and others in question why Africa. Aristide didnt leave the country voluntarily. It seems as though he did, but when someone suggest something to you as though you NEED to do it rather than you SHOULD, becomes as you really now having a choice in the matter. I too, believe that by Aristide going to Africa (if that is the case) it somehow place the African country in a tight position. Today Chief Justice, Bonaface Alexandre, a well-known, well-respected Law professor in Haiti, is controlling the Republic of Haiti. ...

Media Ethics in International Public Policy Essay

Media Ethics in International Public Policy - Essay Example The description of ‘linkage’ as presented above can be differentiated among researchers in political science. As an example, Luttbeg (1974, 3) describes ‘linkage’ as ‘any means by which political leaders act in accordance with the wants, needs, and demands of the public in making government policy’ (in Kennamer, 1994, 2). In accordance with the above, media can have their own way of influencing the development of social and political conditions around the world but their role can be limited in states where there are no wide borders for such activity – as par example in states governed by less democratic regimes. On the other hand, media can have a significant role in the presentation of political and social events around the world and in this way they can influence the international public policy as it is designed and applied by governments globally. Indeed, Spitzer (1993, 4) supported that ‘coverage of international crises may have a different policy consequence as well, in that media-supplied information may be useful, even vital in supplanting government-obtained information, and therefore in shaping decisionmaking’. The war in Iraq and the role of media in the presentation of the relevant events are used by the above researcher as an indicative example of the interaction between media ethics and international public policy. In the particular case, media around the world have been extensively criticized for their views regarding the reasons and the justification of the military intervention in the specific country. In a similar sector, this of the human rights, media have played a significant role in the identification and presentation of problems of citizens living in developing countries internationally. Regarding this issue, media ethics have been used in order to prevent the presentation of scenes that could possibly harm the human rights and indignity. On the other hand,